Forum for Science, Industry and Business

A breakthrough in heat transfer technology

A revolutionary breakthrough in heat transfer technology that could improve process productivity and reduce energy consumption and waste, is being developed by Ashe Morris Ltd thanks to a £100,000 investment from NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts), the largest source of early stage funding in the UK.

Heat exchangers are used in many industrial, commercial and domestic applications and can be used to add or remove heat during chemical and biological manufacturing processes. In a batch manufacturing environment, such as fermenting beer, or making pharmaceuticals, current heat exchangers control the temperature of the process (where the reaction occurs) by regulating the heat transfer fluid temperature or the flow rate as it passes through a cooling jacket.

Ashe Morris is developing a new technology that controls the temperature by changing the effective heat transfer area itself to control the process temperature. In a batch manufacturing application, the heat transfer fluid will flow around up to 100 independent elements that are controlled by a multi-port linear valve with a piston. As the piston moves up and down the valve it brings the relevant elements into use and heats or cools that section.

Joseph Meaney | alfa
Further information:
http://www.nesta.org.uk

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